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The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects

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The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Exterior PhotographyThe Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Exterior Photography, ConcreteThe Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Interior Photography, Wood, BeamThe Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Interior Photography, BeamThe Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - More Images+ 23

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  170
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2023
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Schnepp Renou
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  RODECA GMBH, Swisspearl
  • Lead Architects: Stephanie Aue, Gianni Botsford, James Eagle, Oli Martin
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The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Image 7 of 28
© Schnepp Renou

Text description provided by the architects. Set on a ridge amid acres of pasture above West Cowes, Isle of Wight, near shipyards and light industry, The Old Byre is a conversion of two farm buildings into a home that also affords residency and working spaces for visiting artists.

The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Exterior Photography
© Schnepp Renou

Insulated and wrapped in corrugated cement board on the outside, the project leaves the interior of the old barns largely intact, prioritizing retention over demolition.

The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Image 8 of 28
© Schnepp Renou
The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Image 23 of 28
Site Plan
The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Interior Photography, Wood, Beam
© Schnepp Renou
The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Image 12 of 28
© Schnepp Renou

Seen from the outside, The Old Byre appears indistinguishable from other farm buildings nearby. From the central courtyard on the other hand, where drift seeds and weeds grow in the cracks of the original surface and drains, a complex domestic exterior unfolds, framed by a translucent polycarbonate facade punctuated by large glazed aluminum doors which provide a separate entrance to each of the living and working spaces inside.

The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Interior Photography, Beam
© Schnepp Renou
The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Image 24 of 28
Ground Floor Plan
The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Interior Photography, Dining room, Lighting, Chair, Beam
© Schnepp Renou

The two buildings that make up The Old Byre have been purposefully left disconnected. Daily life is animated by passages and crossings between private and social spaces, through the cool morning air, rain, and summer heat. At night, the facade glows, intimating activities on the inside. In the older barn, a house within a house has been built from spruce plywood. A back alley connects the more intimate, private interiors it harbors, tempered and modulated by full-height doors without traditional handles or locks.

The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Exterior Photography, Concrete
© Schnepp Renou
The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Image 26 of 28
Section 1
The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Exterior Photography, Concrete
© Schnepp Renou

A concrete plinth supports the facade, frames the courtyard, and continues into the interior, providing the connecting ground for the transformation within. Animals used to live here, now humans. The archetypes that animate the design of The Old Byre are the piazza, the archive, the sound of work and industry, the demand of the environment, the social, the sharing of food, and care.

The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects - Exterior Photography, Wood
© Schnepp Renou

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Cite: "The Old Byre Home / Gianni Botsford Architects" 29 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed 17 Feb 2025. <https://www.archdaily.com/1026175/the-old-byre-home-gianni-botsford-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

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